Charles/MGH station

Charles/MGH is a rapid transit station on the MBTA Red Line, elevated above Charles Circle on the south end of the Longfellow Bridge in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.

Charles/MGH
Charles/MGH at dusk, looking westward toward Cambridge
Location170 Charles Street, Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°21′41″N 71°04′17″W
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Construction
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedFebruary 27, 1932[1]
RebuiltJune 2003 – February 17, 2007
Traffic
Passengers (FY2019)10,515 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Kendall/MIT
toward Alewife
 Red Line Park Street
toward Ashmont or Braintree

Charles/MGH is one of a small number of MBTA rapid transit stations with no MBTA bus connections. It is fully accessible after a 2003–2007 reconstruction.

History
New glass headhouse, opened in 2007

The Cambridge Subway opened from Park Street Under to Harvard on March 23, 1912. Like the Lechmere extension opened the same year and the Boylston Street subway opened in 1914, the Cambridge Subway originally had no station serving the area just outside downtown Boston, to speed travel time from farther stations.[1] Although Bowdoin opened on an extension of the East Boston Tunnel in 1916, much of the West End was poorly served by transit. Charles station opened on February 27, 1932 as an infill station.[1] A 14-story Art Deco tower designed by H.F. Kellogg was to have been built over the station; however, due to the Great Depression, only the station itself was ultimately constructed.[3]

The station was originally accessed by a pedestrian tunnel under the traffic circle. This was replaced by a pair of pedestrian bridges, which were heavily used by pedestrians crossing the traffic circle, in 1961.[4][5]:14 In December 1973, the station was renamed Charles/MGH after the nearby Massachusetts General Hospital.[1] Three southbound trains collided inside the Beacon Hill tunnel just south of the station on August 1, 1975, injuring 132 passengers.[6][7] In 1982, the platforms were extended 120 feet (37 m) west to allow for use of six-car trains, which began operation in 1988.[8][1][5]:15

In June 2003, the MBTA began a $34.4 million reconstruction of the station – part of a $48.6 million project that also realigned Charles Circle.[9] Temporary headhouses were opened in May 2004.[10] The pedestrian bridges were removed, and the original headhouses were demolished in July 2004.[11] The existing platforms were rehabilitated, while a new glass headhouse was built slightly to the east of the former headhouse location. The rebuilt accessible station opened on February 17, 2007.[11] Public art created by the community form recycled materials was installed in the fare lobby in June 2007.[12]

Proposed Blue Line connection
Main article: Blue Line (MBTA) § Red Line-Blue Line Connector

Future plans for Charles/MGH station include a new, underground terminus for the Blue Line below the elevated station.[13] Currently, there is no direct connection between the Red and Blue lines, causing severe rush-hour overloads on the Green Line. As part of a September 2008 lawsuit settlement, the state agreed to fully design the project but was no longer bound by an earlier commitment to build it. The extension would be carried by a short tunnel west from Bowdoin station under Cambridge Street. As of 2015, there are no active plans to pursue this project.[14][15]

References
  1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
  2. "A Guide to Ridership Data". MassDOT/MBTA Office of Performance Management and Innovation. June 22, 2020. p. 7.
  3. Cheney, Frank (2002). Boston's Red Line: Bridging the Charles from Alewife to Braintree. Arcadia Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 9780738510477.
  4. "Red Line/Blue Line Connector Project: Draft Environmental Impact Report". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. March 2010. p. ES-5 – via Massachusetts State Library.
  5. Elkus / Manfredi Architects Ltd – HDR (August 31, 2000). Charles/MGH Station Design Summary Report (PDF) (Report). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2010.
  6. Clarke, Bradley H. (1981). The Boston Rapid Transit Album. Cambridge, Mass.: Boston Street Railway Association. p. 16.
  7. Claffey, Charles E.; Richwine, David (August 2, 1975). "132 hurt in rush-hour crash of 3 MBTA trains". Boston Globe. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "MBTA Contract No. B43PS02: Longfellow Approach Architecture and Engineering Services" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 29, 2019.
  9. "New Charles/MGH Station Opens" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 27, 2007.
  10. "Charles/MGH Red Line Station Rehabilitation Project Update" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 11, 2004. Archived from the original on August 5, 2004.
  11. "Charles MGH Renovation". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on April 6, 2008.
  12. "Community Art Unveiled at Charles MGH Station" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 5, 2007.
  13. Daniel, Mac (November 30, 2006). "State agrees to design link between Red and Blue lines". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  14. "Red Line Blue Line Connector". Mass.gov. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  15. "Red Line Blue Line Connector Factsheet" (PDF). Mass.gov. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
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